Proof of ownership: what an adjuster asks for

Proof you owned it

A receipt is the strongest evidence, but it is rarely the only kind an adjuster will consider. Useful alternatives:

• Credit card and bank statements showing the purchase
• Order history from online retailers, which often goes back years
• Photos or video with the item in your home — birthdays and holidays are full of them
• The box, the manual, or a warranty registration
• An appraisal or certificate, for jewelry, art and collectibles

What an adjuster will accept varies by insurer and by claim. Ask what they need before you spend a weekend looking for a receipt.

Proof of what it was worth

The purchase price and date, and what the same item — or its nearest current equivalent — costs to buy today. Recording the make and model is what makes that second number something anyone can check.

Proof of condition

Recent photos, and service records for anything that gets maintained: appliances, tools, instruments, equipment. Condition affects how much depreciation is taken off an item, which matters for the next section.

Serial numbers

For a theft, a police report is stronger with serial numbers, and recovered property is much easier to return when it can be matched to you by serial number. Record them for electronics, appliances, tools, bikes, cameras and firearms — anything that carries one.

Replacement cost vs actual cash value

Actual cash value is what the item was worth at the time of the loss — roughly, the cost to replace it minus depreciation for age and wear. Replacement cost is what it costs to buy a comparable new one today.

The gap can be large: a five-year-old television that would cost $900 to replace might be valued at only a few hundred dollars after depreciation.

Many replacement-cost policies pay the actual cash value first, then pay the difference once you have replaced the item and sent the receipt — usually within a deadline the policy sets. Check whether your belongings are covered at replacement cost at all, and when that deadline falls. Keep the receipts for anything you buy to replace a loss.

After a loss

• Photograph the damage before you clean up, move things or throw anything away.
• Keep damaged items until the adjuster says you can dispose of them, unless they are a hazard.
• Make temporary repairs that prevent further damage, such as covering a broken window, and keep those receipts too. Hold off on permanent repairs until the adjuster has seen the damage.
• Keep a copy of everything you send, and a note of every call.

None of this replaces having the inventory in the first place: how to make one, and a room-by-room checklist to work through.

Last reviewed September 2026. General information, not insurance or legal advice — your policy's wording decides what is covered and how it is valued.